Great Garden Combo: Silver Sparkles Amid Purple and Blue Foliage

So often the landscaping that embraces the front of a home is less than exciting. In the Pacific Northwest, we suffer from an overload of junipers, rhododendrons and azaleas — what we refer to as the "builders basics." Perhaps where you live, every other garden seems to have a privet hedge. Or a token cherry tree by the driveway with a few straggly bushes at the base. Yet here is an opportunity to make a unique statement by creating a visual picture frame to showcase your home and reflect your personal tastes.

Over the past several years, the artistic homeowners below have transformed their front garden from ordinary to exceptional. Taking their color cues from the purple and slate-blue tones of the stonework, they carefully selected plants and accessories to create a soothing monochromatic palette while adding silver for sparkling contrast.

The result is a refreshing, modern twist on foundation planting that sets this home apart from the neighbors' and piques one's curiosity about what can be expected exploring the more private garden spaces beyond.

Look to your home's exterior for color ideas. This home has beautiful stonework in muted shades of purple, soft pink and blue-gray, which dictated the landscape's color palette. To prevent it from appearing somber, the homeowners chose silver as an accent color — a wonderful choice for adding a contemporary twist.

Here's how to get the look.


1. Incorporate nonplant material in the same color scheme. You may wish to include a special sculpture, water feature or container in your foundation planting design. Refer to your overall colors for a cohesive look. This handsome container has a glossy purple glaze with blue undertones — a perfect complement to the plantings.

Nestling it within a sea of silver licorice plant and adding purple fountain grass to one side has created an artistic vignette that anchors one end of the border


2. Create a focal point. Include one special feature or plant to be the star. It should be something that looks good year-round. In this garden the purple-leaved cultivar of Harry Lauder's walking stick was selected both for the foliage color and the twisted branches that are so attractive in winter.


3. Include a visual punctuation point. One of the most common errors when designing foundation combinations is to choose all low-growing plants. While you certainly don't want to obscure windows, a vertical punctuation point adds a necessary break from what could otherwise be monotonous.

In this design a blue Lawson's false cypress was used. Since this conifer remains narrow, it will not impede foot or vehicular traffic, yet its vertical form and unusual color make a strong design statement.


4. Focus on foliage for a modern look. Flowers are wonderful, but they need a strong backbone of foliage to really look their best. By focusing on the colors and textures of foliage, this garden not only looks good all year, but it also has a more modern vibe that really sets it apart from typical neighborhood designs.

The Silvers:

Licorice Plant
(Helichrysum petiolare)

The licorice plant shown here is a fabulous drought-tolerant and deer-resistant ground cover. The felted silvery foliage provides interest all summer.

Origin: South Africa
Where it will grow: Hardy to 20 degrees Fahrenheit (USDA zones 9a to 10b; find your zone); or enjoy it as an annual
Water requirement: Low
Light requirement: Full sun or light shade
Mature size: 1 foot tall and 2 feet wide
Benefits and tolerances: Drought tolerant; deer resistant; easy care
Seasonal interest: Summer
When to plant: Late spring after all danger of frost has passed


Silver Mound Wormwood
(Artemisia schmidtiana 'Silver Mound')

The soft feathery texture of this herbaceous perennial begs to be touched. Enjoy it at the front of the border.

Origin: Japan
Where it will grow: Hardy to -30 degrees Fahrenheit (USDA zones 4 to 9)
Water requirement: Low
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 2 feet tall and wide
Benefits and tolerances: Drought tolerant; deer resistant; easy care
Seasonal interest: Spring to fall
When to plant: Spring



Dusty Miller
(Senecio cineraria)

With its fern-like, fuzzy, silvery-white foliage, this plant has something to offer everyone. In my zone 6b garden, I consider it an annual or short-term perennial, since it will overwinter but looks pretty ragged by spring. For others it is an evergreen perennial that will grow 2 feet tall and wide. It produces yellow flowers in spring.

Where it will grow: Hardy to 10 degrees Fahrenheit (USDA zones 8 to 10)
Water requirement: Low
Light requirement: Partial sun to partial shade
Mature size: 2 feet tall and 1 foot wide
Tolerance: Drought tolerant
Seasonal interest: Year-round
When to plant: Spring or fall


The Purples:

Red Majestic Corkscrew Hazelnut
(Corylus avellana 'Red Majestic')

A burgundy-leaved cultivar of the well-known Harry Lauder's walking stick, this also has remarkable purple catkins. The branches, foliage and catkins are all twisted, making this a fascinating sculptural specimen for the garden or a large container.

Where it will grow: Hardy to -30 degrees Fahrenheit (USDA zones 4 to 8)
Water requirement: Low to average
Light requirement: Full sun to partial shade
Mature size: 7 feet tall and wide
Benefit: Good for floral arrangements
Seasonal interest: Year-round
When to plant: Spring or fall


Rose Glow Barberry
(Berberis thunbergii 'Rose Glow')

Arching, thorned stems of marbled foliage in shades of purple, pink and white make this a colorful deciduous shrub for the border.

Where it will grow: Hardy to -30 degrees Fahrenheit (USDA zones 4 to 8)
Water requirement: Low
Light requirement: Full sun or partial shade
Mature size: 4 feet tall and wide
Benefits and tolerances: Drought tolerant, deer resistant
Seasonal interest: Spring to fall
When to plant: Spring or fall


Orange Xenox Stonecrop
(Sedum 'Orange Xenox')

A showy stonecrop with upright deep burgundy foliage and orange-red flowers.

Where it will grow: Hardy to -30 degrees Fahrenheit (USDA zones 4 to 10)
Water requirement: Low
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 1½ feet tall and wide
Tolerance: Drought tolerant
Seasonal interest: Spring through fall
When to plant: Spring


Plum Royale Coral Bells
(Heuchera 'Plum Royale')

Glossy purple evergreen leaves tie in beautifully to the theme.

Where it will grow: Hardy to -30 degrees Fahrenheit (USDA zones 4 to 9)
Water requirement: Average
Light requirement: Partial shade
Mature size: 1 foot tall and wide
Benefit: Evergreen
Seasonal interest: Year-round
When to plant: Spring or fall


The Blues:

Blue Surprise Lawson's False Cypress
(Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Blue Surprise')

This dense, columnar, blue-toned conifer needs extremely well-drained soil to thrive, but it will reward the gardener with an outstanding display of foliage, which takes on a burgundy cast in winter.

Where it will grow: Hardy to -15 degrees Fahrenheit (USDA zones 6 to 9)
Water requirement: Average to low; do not overwater
Light requirement: Full sun to light shade
Mature size: 8 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide
Seasonal interest: Year-round
When to plant: Spring or fall

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